Kevin Durant and Iman Shumpert are still trading shots over Durant’s 2016 decision to join the Warriors, and the latest round got personal fast.
The back-and-forth picked back up after Shumpert revisited Durant’s move on a recent appearance on Gil’s Arena, where DeMarcus Cousins argued that Durant earned more respect as he got older in the league, much like Michael Jordan did. Shumpert pushed back, saying Durant never got that same treatment because he left to join Golden State.
“KD got older a year after going home, and Jordan didn’t. He joined the ni-s that sent him home.
That’s like, me and Evan come in there, and we rob your house. You don’t smoke us; next year you come hang with us while we go rob Brendan.
Like what? That’s what we’re talking about here,” Shumpert said.
Durant saw the comments on social media and answered in the comments on an Instagram post, unloading on Shumpert and anyone else questioning his choice.
“This ain’t the streets. Plus it ain’t got no rules in the streets; it’s cutthroat lil ni-a. Pull ya panties up, you lucky you got one,” Durant responded.
He also fired back at a fan who told him he took the easy way out.
“Focus up, lil ni-a. You tryna get to where I am,” Kevin Durant said.
Durant kept going, taking aim at critics who, in his view, have been stuck on the same argument for years.
“You fake tough guys are mad that I won championships but call me tender haha it’s ironic. Brother, you’ve been in your feelings for over a decade about this; you aren’t tough, your street analogies mean nothing to me… None of y’all clowns who’ve been crying would ever try me in any way. Just sit back and accept it… Tough guy lol,” he further added.
Shumpert later reacted to Durant’s replies on X, brushing off the exchange and asking for the season to get going.
“These replies get funnier and funnier, man. Start the season so y’all can stop rage baiting me 😭😭😭,” he wrote on X.
This latest round came days after Shumpert said Durant’s move to the Warriors cost him two NBA rings. Durant reportedly deleted his Threads comment in response to that criticism, but that didn’t stop him from jumping back in when Shumpert brought his name up again.
Durant’s legacy debate isn’t going away anytime soon. When he retires, he’ll be viewed as one of the greatest power forwards ever to play in the NBA, and one of the greatest scorers the league has ever seen. But for some people, especially Thunder fans, the asterisk around his career will always be part of the conversation.
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